The present invention relates to a lever actuated single cable shift mechanism for an outboard motor and more particularly to an assembly for converting a rotatable tiller handle shift mechanism into a remote lever actuated single cable shift mechanism.
In some relatively small horesepower outboard marine engines, the selection of forward, neutral and reverse and the speed of the engine has been controlled by a rotatable tiller handle. The shift/throttle operation was performed by rotating a cylindrical throttle handle to which a pair of pull-pull cables had been attached. Rotation of the tiller handle would result in a pulling action on one of the cables and the other ends of the cables were attached to throttle and shift mechanisms on the engine.
In some situations, it would be desirable to perform the shift/throttle operation from a steering position usually located well forward of the engine. In order to provide this remote control of the shift/throttle operation, it was necessary to remove the tiller handle and its associated hardware from the engine and then mount a complicated and costly control utilizing two control cables and a control box that duplicated the shift/throttle operation. Such an operation was not only costly and time consuming but was also rather permanent in nature and it did not allow for the quick and easy removal of the outboard engine from the boat once the remote shift/throttle control had been installed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a single cable shift/throttle assembly that will readily convert a rotatable tiller control into a remote lever actuated single cable shift/throttle control. The assembly also allows tag control cable to be readily removed from the outboard engine so as to allow for a quick and easy removal of the outboard marine engine from the boat.